Day: December 20, 2013

Zechariah must have benefited from the months of his muted mouth, consequence of doubt and distrust of Gabriel’s message. Unable to communicate, he enters into that inmost sacred space where God does a precious work, just as God was doing in the dark, silent wombs of Elizabeth and Mary.

Thus, Zechariah was ready to let prayer be the first expression of his loosened tongue. What flows forth would be repeated daily for centuries as the Church’s Morning Prayer after the silence of the night.

Hold your tongue often during these darkening days of Advent. Believe that God is at work in your inmost, just as God was molding the major personalities of the first Advent. The more you wait and relish the silence, the greater will be the fire of prayer that starts within, expressing itself without through your loosened tongue.